www.carrozzieri-italiani.com

The ultimate italian coachbuilder site

The Partnership between Peugeot & Pininfarina

Peugeot and Pininfarina have been working together since 1951 when Peugeot decided to call in an independent design house to create its new 403 Saloon with the aim to create a distinctive lasting look.

It opted for Pininfarina, a design house with an established international reputation for a style that combined classicism, inventiveness and personality.

1955 Peugeot 403

The new Peugeot saloon which came out in 1955 was a bigger success than the French firm had ever dreamed of, in the end over a milion units were produced, an unimaginable figure for the period. The collaboration wass desined to last in time and it is not confined to design; it was in the Sixties that the relationship was extended to manufacturing with the first complete cars production for the French company.

They were niche cars, coupés and cabriolets. Pininfarina produced the bodies which were then sent to Peugeot where the mechanical parts were assembled. A series of numbers and successes followed 404-204-5042053061007 and probably the most beautiful: the 406 Coupé.

This partnership has acquired a new dimension with the 406 Coupé project . For the very first time Peugeot has entrusted Pininfarina with the responsability not only for the exterior and interior styling , but also for industrialisation and production in strict resect for the standards, particularly quality, that are a part of everyday life in Peugeot’s own manufacturing facilities.

1997 Peugeot 406 Coupé

Pininfarina also realized numerous models and research prototypes on Peugeot mechanic base as the 504 Break Riviera (1971), the 104 Peugette (1974), the 205 Verve (1984), the Griffe 4 (1985), the 205 Cabriolet (1986), the 306 Cabriolet (1994), the 406 Coupè and the Nautilus (1997).

At the end of the Nineties the market requires reassuring volumes, that are serious and formal rather than ephemeral, of a very high quality and with a timeless beauty, that will not decay rapidly. The decision to maintain the same wheelbase as the other 406s (2.70m) has produced an elegant, dynamic, coupé, with a sporting image but a spaciousness comparable with that of the saloon.

1997 Peugeot Nautilus

Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche started the styling phase in June 1992, with a number of renderings of cars that differed in their general set-up and the shape of their sides. The first two full sized models were produced very rapidly (September 1992) for an initial verification: one already hinted at the final result, the other proposed tauter lines.

Two painted, more envolved plastic models followed, and one of these was extremely close to the final result. It already gave a glimpse of what the sides, the volumes and the recessed rear window would look like.

There is a resemblance to the 504 Coupé, another coupé created by Pininfarina for Peugeot. It is evident in the side dihedron, in the line of the wings which repeat it, and the recessed, straight rear window with a laterally inclined upright, that emphasises the third bow of the car. These and other details are a visual impression that hark back to Peugeot coupés of the past, and foster a natural sense of brand identity.

1969 Peugeot 504 Coupé

The importance that Peugeot attributes to its return to the coupé was underlined by the fact that this model, although originating from the 406 family, was conceived and designed as a completely new car.

Pininfarina’s global responsibility in the subsequent construction of the vehicle and the intrinsic difficulties of an extremely ambitious styling, technical and qualitative project, required an extra effort in the search for technical and manufacturing solutions to reflect the absolute priority of the quality. From 1993 the development phase of the Coupé brought Industrie Pininfarina and Peugeot into close, open cooperation and team spirit was high. During construction and testing of the prototypes and the industrialisation phase, numerous problems posed by the complex shape and content of the car, were tackled and solved, sometimes with results that exceeded objectives.

Starting May 2003 the 406 Coupé was available in a new version that, while still remaining true to its original proportions and balanced styling, introduces a number of new design features. Pininfarina has created a newly styled front-end to give it a pleasantly aggressive look, reinforced by the larger lower air intakes.

At either side of the air intakes, new, smaller, round, lenticular fog lights. Decorative features on the facia have a matt metallic finish, with the Pininfarina logo in bright black letters.

2005 Peugeot 1007

The instruments have this type of finish too, with a black border running around the instrument panel and air vents. Interior features were even more elegant, from the black central console to leather trim on the side panels of the seats. In June 2003 Pininfarina celebrated the 100 thousandth unit of the Peugeot 406 Coupé to come off the production line at its San Giorgio Canavese (Turin) plant. Peugeot 1007, world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show 2004, demonstrates the continuity of the collaboration between Peugeot and Pininfarina: starting from the original sliding side doors concept designed by the Department of Automobiles Peugeot, Pininfarina has designed this innovative MPV launched in 2005.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Celebrating 115 years of Carrozzeria Garavini, the brand sees its rediscovery and relaunch in the world of cars, design and elegance.

At Garavini, craftsmanship, manufacture and uniqueness come together to create works of art on wheels that go beyond the concept of a simple means of transport to become symbols of passion and refinement.

115 years after its foundation, the company has decided to start again with the Alfa Romeo 4C, in the 10th anniversary year of the model’s presentation, in collaboration with the IAAD in Turin. This partnership between the historic brand and the design institute represents an opportunity to create a high-end sports car that combines outstanding Italian aesthetics with the best technologies.

Poltu Quatu immediately turned out to be the ideal location for the premiere of the project, thanks to the famous Concours d’Elegance which, as the perfect combination of worldliness, elegance and the joy of living the dolce vita, allows the meeting from all over the world of those enthusiasts who, more than anyone else, can appreciate the value and style of a vision such as Garavini’s.

The project takes its inspiration from the 1930s Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 by Garavini, the star of the Italian Dolce Vita and the birth of the classic car movement in Italy. The Garavini Perenne represents an extraordinary sports car that combines the Italian tradition of elegance and style with innovation and high quality craftsmanship. Garavini’s tribute to the model, the 4C, which, with its debut 10 years ago, decreed the real relaunch of Alfa Romeo, is no coincidence: symbolic value, as happens in all valuable initiatives, has a decisive weight in the conception and realisation of unique products.

The soul of the project is Luca Babbini, a young entrepreneur with experience in research and development for various industries, in particular the automotive industry. Babbini’s path, which started at IAAD and has been refined through subsequent collaborations, has always been linked to a passion for luxury, not so much as a material passion, but derived from the emotion that an object or an experience conveys.

“When I crossed Garavini’s path,” explains Luca Babbini, Garavini Design Director, “with family origins and values that can be traced back to mine, I thought it was a sign: the awareness of this affinity has allowed us to give life to a new chapter, a reality in which passion for craftsmanship, luxury and family heritage come together. The Garavini Perenne will be an opportunity to enhance the Turin area but in an international key, thanks to the freshness and desire to do that only a young team, such as that of Garavini and that of the IAAD master’s degree course in Transportation Design, can guarantee.”

On 8 July on the occasion of the Poltu Quatu Classic, a preview of the concept on which the students of the IAAD master’s course in Transportation Design are working, reasoning and declining the Garavini values of elegance and attention to detail, aimed at creating a modern classic with a first series of 15 examples, which aspires to become a timeless model, a source of inspiration for the present and the future. The lines are classic, inspired by a sporty use that smells of fresh air and speed. Driving pleasure is at the heart of the design with a set-up dedicated to usability on the road as well as on the track.

Again Luca Babbini: ‘The valorisation of young people is a key aspect of the project: it always seems, in the common narrative, that unreachable challenges and moments of continuous crisis await us, but the future is full of opportunities and style and beauty are not a closed chapter. The creation of new classics is the true ambition of a project, which looks to the future aware of its past but with the confidence that it can still make a difference. The Turin area, then, is rich in excellent craft realities with which to create synergies and develop a true pole of high craftsmanship. There is nothing to stop us from looking beyond the automotive field and broadening the declination of our values with incursions into other sectors… in short, there is a lot to build on, and the Garavini lifestyle begins today with Garavini Perenne.

The result of this partnership is a high-end compact sports car with a sculptural aesthetic design. Garavini is committed to satisfying a discerning international audience that appreciates the art of automotive design and Italian craftsmanship. The ability to excite both long-time enthusiasts and new customers is a challenge Garavini sets itself, aiming to create a fascinating and successful future for the brand.

The Garavini Perenne will be released in 2025.